one quote I found interesting from ‘The Tatler ‘ is, ” Though the other papers which are published for the use of the good people of England have certainly very wholesome effects, and are laudable in their particular kinds, yet they do not seem to come up to the main design of such narrations, which, I humbly presume, should be principally intended for the use of politic persons, who are so public spirited as to neglect their own affairs to look into transactions of State.” In this quote Steele present The Tatler as a solution to the problem, being that other periodicals only speak on politics. In his periodical, he implies, will not only inform readers but also help them know what to think about political manners. This is both a sincere assertion and a sarcastic remark. On one hand he isn’t trying to shape public discourse, but on the other, his tone suggests that he’s poking fun at the idea that people need guidance in forming their own opinions. which makes me think about how news are presented nowadays.

This entry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.